Bolder, and reportedly bigger and more aggressive than ever before, the flocks
of gulls nesting along British coastlines this summer are more interested in
blood than bacon sarnies

Notorious for swooping down and stealing the odd chip or sandwich, seagulls have long plagued holiday makers and beachgoers. In recent weeks, however, in scenes reminiscent of Hitchcock’s The Birds, their presence has become far more sinister. Bolder, and reportedly bigger and more aggressive than ever before, the flocks of gulls nesting along British coastlines this summer are more interested in blood than bacon sarnies.

There was “blood everywhere” said Emily Vincent. “It was like a murder scene.”

In nearby Liskeard, Jan Byrne lost her 20-year-old pet tortoise to gulls in an equally savage attack. “‘It was like a bloody scene from a horror movie,” she said. “I found Stig upside down with blood pouring from his wounds. He’d been flipped over by the seagull, his underbelly had been pecked and he was bleeding profusely... It was as if the seagull was treating him like a crab – targeting the softer underside and his tail and his eyes.”

In May, a Chihuahua puppy died in Devon after it was attacked by gulls. And in Hyde Park London, there were reports last October of a “killer seagull” which would grab pigeons by the neck and drown them in the Serpentine before “feasting on their bodies”. There have also been numerous attacks on humans. Jessica Miles, 24, was lucky to escape a “big, evil seagull” when it dive-bombed her in Cheltenham. “It could actually kill someone,” she said. “If it attacks an elderly person, they could have a heart attack.”

Such is the developing crisis that the Prime Minister is preparing to intervene. During a visit to Cornwall on Friday, David Cameron said a “big conversation” needed to happen. Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, Mr Cameron said: “Frankly the people we need to listen to are people who really understand this issue in Cornwall, and the potential effects it is having.

“Reading the papers this morning about how aggressive the seagulls are now in St Ives for instance – we do have a problem. I was listening to the MPs last night; I think it is the start of a conversation about something needing to be done.”

According to Keith Bretton, the vice president of the Trust for British Ornithology, the problem is that gulls are no longer scared of us. “What’s happened in recent years is that the species has become much more accustomed to living alongside humans,” he said.

“They’ve learnt to live with us and are used to coming into contact with us. And now they’re getting into conflict with us, too.”

The birds also tend to be more aggressive at this time of year. “The temperament of gulls is usually pretty good,” said Mr Bretton. “Except when they’re nesting. Like any parent, they’re very protective of their offspring once they’ve hatched and they see us as a threat.”

Gulls fight in teams, he added. If one is distressed it will put out a call and others will help. Mr Bretton himself was “swarmed’’ by 20 gulls, after a pair nesting on the roof of his house in Hampshire decided he was straying too close and called in support.

This intimidating pack mentality is something the residents of Brighton are having to cope with.

Ice cream seller Mary Reynolds, whose shop is located on the front near Brighton pier, said: “It’s definitely been the worst period ever. They’re chunkier, more angry and are just swooping on people far more. Someone came out of the shop the other day – not even holding an ice cream – and they just dived down on them. It was really scary.”

The Sunday Telegraph can vouch for it being “really scary”, too. After leaving Ms Reynolds’s shop yesterday, the photographer and this reporter were set upon by a flock of terrifying – and evidently hungry – gulls. My colleague was clawed in the face by a particularly sadistic bird. This seemed to spur on the others who then dive-bombed – and defecated – upon us. We had no choice but to flee.

There is not much that can be done about the terror-inducing situation. “Nuisance alone is not considered to be a reasonable justification for culling,” says Brighton and Hove councillor Ruth Allsop, who has received “numerous inquiries” about the birds over the past few weeks. “Urban gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and culling can only be carried out where there is a threat to public health and safety, or to aircraft.”

The eight-year-old Yorkshire terrier, called Roo (L)

Traditional culling methods have disadvantages. “Plastic owls/birds of prey and distress calls [all designed to frighten off the birds] do not work as the gulls soon get used to them,” said Ms Allsop. “The discharging of firearms in built-up areas will obviously have safety implications. The poisoning of birds will cause issues for health and safety executives – not only for the operatives, but also for passers-by, when the dead birds fall into the street.

“Egg oiling [when you coat the shell of an egg with medicinal liquid paraffin, which deprives the embryo of oxygen and stops it from developing] may be a solution; however this runs into legal problems, as the council will need permission from all householders who have nests to access their property – without which, the council could be accused of trespass.”

Tony Whitehead, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said it had been inundated with calls from the public concerned about gulls.

“We often get calls from people wondering what to do and our advice is always the same: if you’ve got a gull nesting on your roof, which has got youngsters, just avoid the area for a bit,” he said. “If you absolutely can’t avoid that area, anything held above your head will stop the birds swooping at you. Just use an umbrella to protect yourself.”

Waving your hands at the birds, however, is not a good plan. “That will just annoy them,” said Mr Whitehead.

For now – apart from a large umbrella – there is no obvious solution. Certainly Mr Cameron doesn’t have one. “I think this is a very difficult subject and I think it is a dangerous one for the Prime Minister to dive in and come up with an instant answer,” he said.

Until he does, these bloodthirsty birds will be ruling the roost this summer.